Oftentimes cells are removed from the body for disease diagnosis or cellular research. This typically requires fluorescent labeling followed by sorting with a flow cytometer; however, possible disruption of cellular function or even cell death due to the presence of the label can occur. This may be acceptable for ex vivo applications, but as cells are more frequently moving from the lab to the body, label-free methods of cell sorting are needed to eliminate these issues. This is especially true of the growing field of stem cell research where specialized cells are needed for treatments. Because differentiation processes are not completely efficient, cells must be sorted to eliminate any unwanted cells (i.e. un-differentiated or differentiated into an unwanted cell type). In order to perform label-free measurements, non-linear optics (NLO) have been increasingly utilized for single cell analysis because of their ability to not disrupt cellular function. An optical system was developed for the measurement of NLO in a microfluidic channel similar to a flow cytometer. In order to improve the excitation efficiency of NLO, a scanned Bessel beam was utilized to create a light-sheet across the channel. The system was tested by monitoring twophoton fluorescence from polystyrene microbeads of different sizes. Fluorescence intensity obtained from light-sheet measurements were significantly greater than measurements made using a static Gaussian beam. In addition, the increase in intensity from larger sized beads was more evident for the light-sheet system.


Previous genetic studies conducted with migratory fish populations from downstream of the Tres Marias dam in the Sao Francisco River Basin (Brazil) have documented the occurrence of population structuring, as reported for Brycon orthotaenia and Prochilodus argenteus, two commercially important species in this basin. We revisited the genetic structure of these species using microsatellites. B. orthotaenia was sampled during the spawning season and was analyzed using five heterologous microsatellites. P. argenteus was collected in the non-reproductive season and genetic analysis was conducted using ten species- specific microsatellites. For both species, genetic diversity between collection sites was similar. Considering B. orthotaenia, FST and RST estimates and the Bayesian analysis demonstrated significant differences between sites. Two well-defined populations were identified in the study area, indicating population structuring for this species. No significant differences were found for P. argenteus. These data provide information for knowledge regarding genetic structure of migratory fish species, which may contribute toward the conservation besides the understanding the biology and ecology of these important fishery resources.


We compute the hydrodynamic relaxation times τ_{π} and τ_{j} for hot QCD at next-to-leading order in the coupling with kinetic theory. We show that certain dimensionless ratios of second-order to first-order transport coefficients obey bounds which apply whenever a kinetic theory description is possible; the computed values lie somewhat above these bounds. Strongly coupled theories with holographic duals strongly violate these bounds, highlighting their distance from a quasiparticle description.


Front Desk Project (FDP) was initiated by the Punjab government to bridge the gap between police and public in 2015. Punjab police was facing too much complains and lack of confidence from public as a friendly service oriented organization. FDP was aimed to bring educated people in police station to deal with the complainants by using latest technology to make it easier to lodge a complaint and First Information Report (FIR). Previously Police manage their records manually but after initiation of FDP, everything was computerized and easy to follow up a case in short period of time. A training program of FDP was devised to train the front desk officers who deal with public. It was initially designed as forty days training based on computer typing skills and law at police training centers. This program consisted of basics of Law, typing skills and motivational lectures. This paper aims to identify the short comings in the training program i.e. traditional curriculum which doesn't match with the job requirement, which requires software training, physiological, behavioral, ethical trainings and also requires practical exposure. Moreover, exploring the opportunities to propose a system for the transformation of traditional FDP curriculum composed of state-of-the-art training methods. The proposed FDP curriculum has a capacity to enhance capabilities and real time experience for the trainees. This would also help trainers to automate the course and be helpful in police working and management.


Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of endometrial volume measurement and three-dimensional power Doppler analysis (3DPDA) in the diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma and endometrial hyperplasia in women with postand perimenopausal bleeding. Methods: Some 56 women with postmenopausal and 89 with perimenopausal bleeding were enrolled. All were scheduled for hysteroscopy, dilatation and curettage, endometrial sampling or hysterectomy, and the ultrasound scan was performed within 24 h before the procedure. Endometrial thickness, endometrial volume, vascularity index (VI), flow index (FI) and vascularity–flow index (VFI) were measured. These parameters were compared between the group of women with normal histology (including endometrial polyps) and the pathological group (carcinoma and hyperplasia with or without atypia). Results: Ninety women (62%) had normal histology, 26 (17.9%) had an endometrial polyp, 18 (12.5%) hyperplasia and 11(7.6%) had endometrial carcinoma. Mean endometrial thickness was 11 mm and 15.5 mm in the normal and pathological groups respectively (P < 0.005). The mean endometrial volume was 6.87 mL and 15.5 mL in the two groups respectively (P < 0.001). The VI was 2.27% and 2.95% in the two groups respectively (P = 0.022). The FI was 18.6 and 23.6 in the two groups respectively (P = 0.014). The VFI was 0.68 and 0.89 in the two groups respectively (P = 0.018). The area under the ROC curve was 0.698, 0.728, 0.621, 0.631, and 0.625 for endometrial thickness, endometrial volume, VI, FI and VFI respectively. The best predictor of endometrial carcinoma was an endometrial volume of 3.56 mL or more (sensitivity 93.1%, specificity 36.2%). Conclusions: Endometrial volume and 3D-PDA are good diagnostic tools in predicting endometrial carcinoma and hyperplasia in women with postand perimenopausal bleeding.


The objective of this article was to develop a deeper understanding of the interdependences between smallholder farming and the state of environmental management in rural Malawi. We examined the agricultural local governance framework in Malingunde Extension Planning Area (EPA), its contribution to food security and how it conflicts with overall land and forest resources management. The charcoal production process was discussed in line with its implications for agricultural production and environmental sustainability. The smallholder households employ inappropriate land management practices, engage in agricultural production on unsuitable land and use fertile soils, timber and firewood for brick production and construction and secondly engage in charcoal production (deforestation) as a coping mechanism against food deficiency. However, while detrimental in its own right, this environmental degradation in the area cannot be explicitly pinned to, for instance, the total charcoal supply being out of balance with wood stocks or insufficient land. It is, rather, usually due to failures to provide incentives to manage land and forest resources in a manner that allows regeneration of both the soils and wood stocks in the area. An improvement in the quality and quantity of the smallholder agriculture sector production would promote significantly the environmental management efforts.


Mononuclear cells from human peripheral blood were purified by semicontinuous flow centrifugation (SCFC) using the Haemonetics model 30 blood cell separator; 64% +/- 7% of the mononuclear cells in 600 ml of peripheral blood were collected in a 30-ml volume. Analysis of sequential 5-ml aliquots of the mononuclear cell concentrate revealed that both immunocompetent cells and granulocytic progenitor cells (CFU- C) were proportional to the cell count throughout the buffy coat. In vitro pheresis of large volumes of human bone marrow resulted in recovery of 63% of the cells, 12% of the hemoglobin, and 84% of the CFU- C in 20% of the original volume. Further centrifugation eliminated 80% of the platelets without loss of cells or CFU-C. SCFC of peripheral blood or bone marrow selectively concentrated mononuclear cells and reduced the contamination by granulocytes and erythrocytes. Large numbers of mononuclear cells can thus be collected for studies in vitro or for cryopreservation and the autologous reconstitution of immunosuppressed or myelosuppressed patients undergoing intensive antitumor therapy.


The study of women's mobilization in Israel/ Palestine highlights complex relationship between gender and nationalist struggles. Relations between Arab women's organizations and Arab political parties in Israel reveal a multiplicity of forms of cooperation, autonomization and tensions between those two spheres of involvement. In analysing the evolution of those relations since 1948, this article underlines how feminist and women's organizations relate differently to the concepts of politics and the political. Often originating from communist and nationalist movements, some women leaders perceive associations as professional alternatives to conventional politics and an autonomous space for the politicization of gender issues. Their militant careers reveal a conflict between professional legitimacy and partisan closeness. On the contrary, Islamic women's organizations continue to work under the leadership of the political movement through developing a non-militant social discourse. By articulating the study of relations with political parties and the perception of women activists regarding the concepts of politics and the political, this research points out the mobility and porosity of borders between women's organizations and the partisan sphere.


Most governments see the use of information systems as part of a reform strategy to reconfigure relations both among various government departments as well as between governments and other stakeholders. However, there is little empirical evidence to support whether these systems achieve this intended outcome. Therefore, the overarching question that guides this study can be articulated as follows: given that the information systems used by governments are proposed to institute new relational patterns within governments and between governments and other stakeholders, has this happened, if it so how and if not why not. I suggest that e-governance systems are designed and implemented with the context of existing institutionalized social structures, which constrain actors who come together to build and implement a new system. However, this does not mean that these actors are mere puppets. They are capable of strategic action and can choose whether to reinforce the existing institutionalized set up or to change it. In either case, these constrained actors build coalitions by using strategic and assumptive frames in their attempt to move from interpretive flexibility towards institutionalization. This study uses the extended case study approach with in-depth interviews and participant observation as the data elicitation techniques. My data analytic approach stems from the notion of a hermeneutic circle that sees the process of social construction and institutionalization as a series of constructed dialogues.


A continuously increasing global competition in the ship building industry leads to decreasing margins and an increased cost pressure for Norwegian shipbuilders. The Norwegian ship designers and shipbuilders are known throughout the world for delivering complex vessel with high quality, on time. Shipowners have so far been willing to pay the price for Norwegian offshore support vessels. However, high quality products will at some point be outcompeted by less expensive solutions. An effective cost estimation framework can contribute to a competitive advantage. This thesis presents a methodology for developing a cost estimation framework to identify, investigate and evaluate the importance and behavior of cost drivers in offshore shipbuilding. The outcome of the method is cost estimating relationships (CER) that express the relative consequences on the total cost due to relative changes of high level performance requirements. These CERs is called relative change-CERs. A relative change-CER could for example express the relative consequence on the total cost due to a 5 % increase of the installed engine power. The method can be characterized as a parametric top-down cost estimation approach. By using historical cost data and specifications for a population of vessels of a certain ship type, it is possible to find relationships between important performance parameters and costs. With regression techniques, CERs expressing unit costs per cost driving parameter for different technological groups of the vessel can be found. By using these unit cost-CERs on already existing vessels and then theoretically change the ship?s performance parameters, one will see the theoretical consequence on the total cost. By changing a chosen cost driving parameter with different intervals for several vessels, the average relative consequences on the total cost is found for that ship type. The relative change-CERs can be utilized differently by actors in the shipbuilding industry. One area of application is in the negotiation process with a potential customer where features like ship specifications and change orders are discussed. The relative change-CERs contribute to leverage for the yard personnel?s arguments, and reduce the response time for rebids and tender requests. Another area of application for the relative change-CERs is for gaining insight of the behavior of important cost drivers in offshore ship building. With a set of unit cost curves and relative change-CERs, it is possible to identify how the different parts of the ship are affected by a relative change in certain ship parameters. This information can be used to rank the different ship parameters according to their importance and relative influence on the total ship building cost.


In profile envelope process of form cutter for involute gear, the grinding depth is variable which causes grinding force to change on a large scale and the profile error of envelope to increase. To improve form cutter accuracy, a closed-loop control system was designed to accomplish control of envelope process. For complicated dynamic process, fuzzy controller is used to adjust parameters online. By measuring grinding force, characteristic information of grinding process is acquired. Regulation factor of feed rate is determined by grinding force ratio, force deviation and its change rate used as evaluation indexes. Thus, fuzzy control of constant force grinding process is accomplished. Simulation and cutter grinding test indicates that the system has high precision and stability, and reduces cutter error effectively.


This paper estimates productivity changes in Japanese shinkin banks during the fiscal years 2001 to 2008 using the Malmquist index as the measure of productivity change. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to estimate the index. We also apply a smoothed bootstrapping approach to set up confidence intervals for estimates and study their statistical characteristics. By analyzing estimated scores, we identify trends in productivity changes in Japanese shinkin banks during the study period and investigate the sources of these trends. We find that in the latter half of the study period, productivity has significantly declined, primarily because of deterioration in technical efficiency, but scale efficiency has been significantly improved. Grouping the total sample according to the levels of competition reveals more details of productivity changes in shinkin banks.


In this study, by a conventional melt quenching method, we synthesized novel up-conversion phosphors of 60TeO2–30TlO0.5–(9−x)ZnO–xTm2O3–1Yb2O3 (x = 0.1–0.5) glasses, whose system was recently developed in our collaborative group, and their blue up-conversion photoluminescence (UCPL) of Tm3+ ions via three-step energy transfer from near-infrared (NIR) sensitizer of Yb3+ ions was observed. In particular, the substantial rate of the energy transfer in the third step from Yb3+ to Tm3+ under excitation at 975 nm, which determined the final blue UCPL intensity, was estimated as a function of the rare-earth concentration. With an aid of analytical methods of PL lifetime and Judd–Ofelt theory, it was revealed that the highest energy transfer rate was achieved to be 2.07 × 10−17 cm3/s for x = 0.2, and further increasing Tm2O3 content x in the fixed Yb2O3 resulted in the decrease in the energy transfer rate . One of the plausible causes was concentration quenching of Yb3+ ions. The other was back-transfer from Tm3+ to Yb3+ ions. The influence of the condition of glass synthesis and the melting time on was also discussed.


Cal Poly Pomona's College of Business Administration is in the process of introducing a new eBusiness option to its majors. In spite of the dot.com crash, or perhaps because of it, we believe the need for an understanding of the principles of eBusiness to be greater than ever. Our new eBusiness option is targeted at students who wish to participate in the next generation of dot.com businesses, but who do not seek the technical depth of our computer information systems majors. In creating this new option, we see ourselves at the frontier of institutions of higher education and a key component in the genesis of a new generation of eEntrepreneurs. This paper explores this new option for our business students that we will be offering at Cal Poly Pomona. We believe this paper will be of interest to educators, who, much like ourselves, are only now beginning to consider the importance of this new direction in information systems curricula.


Motivations. Lipases, mainly of microbial origin, represent the most widely used class of enzymes in biotechnological applications and organic chemistry. Bacterial lipases are members of the structural superfamily of α/β hydrolases that catalyze the hydrolysis and synthesis of a variety of acylglycerols at the lipid-water interface. Optimization of features and catalytic activity of lipases as the third industrial enzyme are significant for industrial applications. The structural comparison between α/β hydrolases and thermoalkalophilic lipases represented that the insertion of Zn2+ binding site (α3, b1 and b2) has not, until now, been seen within the α/β hydrolase canonical fold that making a tight intramolecular interaction with the main catalytic domain. In this study, we investigated the role of Zn2+ binding site on lipase activity by using the computational methods. Methods. To survey the effect of Zn2+ binding site on structure and function of lipase, the nucleotide sequence of α3 domain was deleted in the Geobacillus thermocatenulatus lipase gene. Homology modeling for the native and the mutated lipases was performed using MODELLERv9.10, based on crystal structure of Geobacillus thermocatenulatus (PDB: 2w22 (opened form)) as tempelate. Analysis of the 3D-structure of the native and the mutated lipases generated by MODELLER were done using QMEAN and ProsA servers. The molecular docking of native and mutated lipases with ligands (Dibutyrin, tributyrin, tricaproin, and tricaprylin) was performed using the trial Molegro Virtual Docker 5.0. Before docking, the structure of receptor and ligands was prepared, flexible torsions in ligands detected, explicit hydrogens crated and possible missing bonds assigned. Results. Z-scores of the two lipases were calculated from PROSA-web. It was found to be -8.32 and -8 for the native and mutated lipases respectively. This result confirmed that there is high similarity between native and mutated lipases in opened conformation. Also the QMEAN Server was used for model quality estimation of the lipases. It was found to be 0.833 and 0.749 for the native and chimera lipases respectively. Results obtained by QMEAN Server specify the reliability of the models and also, confirmed that there is high similarity between two lipases. Furthermore, the root mean-squared deviation (RMSD) value of the native and mutated lipases was calculated by superimposing two lipases (388 residues). The RMSD was found to be 12.62A˚ for the opened form of the lipases. We carried out molecular docking with a series of substrates. In comparison of mutated lipase interaction energy with BTL2 lipase, the mutated lipase showed lower energy to break down bonds between ligand and lipase. The function prediction of mutated lipase with deletion on α3 domain, represent lipase activity enhancement with C4 to C10 substrates. Therefore function of mutated lipase in hydrolyzing of triacylglycerol is better than BTL2.


Process-Aware Information Systems (PAIS) is a special class of the IS intended for the support the tasks of initialization, end-to-end management and completion of business processes. During the operation such systems accumulate a large number of data that are recorded in the form of the event logs. Event logs are a valuable source of knowledge about the actual behavior of a system. For example, there can be found information about the discrepancy between the real and the prescribed behavior of the system; to identify bottlenecks and performance issues; to detect anti-patterns of building a business system. These problems are studied by the discipline called "Process Mining". The practical application of the process mining methods and practices is carried out using the specialized software for data analysts. The subject area of the process analysis involves the work of an analyst with a large number of graphical models. Such work will be more efficient with a convenient graphical modeling tool. The paper discusses the principles of building a graphical tool "VTMine for Visio" for the process modeling, based on the widespread application for business intelligence Microsoft Visio. There are presented features of the architecture design of the software extension for application in the process mining domain and integration with the existing libraries and tools for working with data. The application of the developed tool for solving various types of tasks for modeling and analysis of processes is demonstrated on a set of experimental schemes.


During the last decade, studies on the use of technology for communication purposes, or synchronous and asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) technology have proliferated around the globe. CMC technology has allowed native speakers of the target language into the second language (SL) classroom, transforming it into a real-world context environment. The objective of the study, informed by the Information processing approach and the Interaction hypothesis, is to compare traditional SL classes to network-based language teaching (NBLT) classes in order to assess whether the use of synchronous and asynchronous CMC technology in NBLT courses enhances language acquisition in the Spanish language class. It also aims to gather quantitative results in a discipline that is overwhelmingly informed by qualitative data. The researchers used the reading and listening sections of the Minnesota Language Proficiency Assessment (MLPA) as pre and posttest, and analyzed data using a mixed model analysis of variance. From 2008 to 2010, researchers designed the procedures and guidelines to conduct this study. Results from the spring semester 2011show that CMC technology plays an important role in students' language learning given that reading and listening scores were significantly higher in the posttest in the NBLT classes compared to the traditional classes. The analysis of the results obtained in this study open new possibilities to further investigate the use of CMC technology in SL teaching/learning.


In this paper, the role of the computer at the workplace will be examined in determining the wage structure in Germany. Following Krueger (1993) and using the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), cross-sectional wage regression results from 1997 and panel results from 1984-1997 are presented. It is shown that the wage premium attributed to using a computer at work using cross-sectional results for 1997 is around 7%. Further it is shown that computer usage is very heterogeneous depending on which industry one works in. In cross-section, hypothesis tests show that several industries and almost all firm size categories exhibit very different wage differentials depending on computer usage at the workplace. As DiNardo and Pischke (1997) stress the need for panel data to control for unmeasured individual effects, we use GSOEP 1984-1997 panel data, where a random effects and fixed effects estimator were run in the wage estimation. We confirm the results that Entorf and Kramarz (1997) had for France, that in Germany the coefficient for computer usage at the workplace did not remain stable and although just barely significant, was reduced to mere 1% with individual fixed effects. We conclude that there are no computer usage wage differentials worth speaking of, once one controls adequately for unobserved individual heterogeneity.


Background: The incidental radiation exposure to hippocampus during radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal cancers may contribute to short-term toxicity like disequilibrium and lack of inhibition and also to long-term memory loss. Objective: To diametrically evaluate the dose received by hippocampus in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer undergoing intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Materials and Methods: Eleven patients with histologically proven locally advanced nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed in this study. The total prescribed dose to the planning target volume was 70 Gy (D95%) delivered in 2 Gy daily fractions using IMRT technique. Employing the anatomical guidelines and magnetic resonance imaging coregistration, the hippocampi were delineated on axial imaging from the simulation computed tomography scan for each patient. IMRT treatment plans were generated without applying dose–volume constraints to the hippocampus. Maximum hippocampus dose, mean hippocampus dose, minimum hippocampus dose, and hippocampus volume receiving 3 Gray dose (V3Gy) were analyzed. Results: The mean hippocampus volume was 4.7 cm3. The average minimum dose to the entire hippocampus was 5.276 Gy (range, 0.072–18.609 Gy); the average maximum point dose to the hippocampus was 21.405 Gy (range, 0.595–59.832 Gy); and the average mean dose to the entire hippocampus volume was 10.922 Gy (range, 0.194–34.706 Gy) and V3Gy was 79.15 Gy (range, 0%–100%). Conclusion: The dosimetric analysis suggests that patients who underwent IMRT for nasopharyngeal cancer received significantly high incidental dose to the hippocampus. The study creates awareness regarding the need to routinely delineate hippocampus as an organ at risk in the radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancers.


Young solar-type stars rotate rapidly and many are magnetically active. Some appear to undergo magnetic cycles similar to the 22 yr solar activity cycle. We conduct simulations of dynamo action in rapidly rotating suns with the three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic anelastic spherical harmonic (ASH) code to explore dynamo action achieved in the convective envelope of a solar-type star rotating at five times the current solar rotation rate. We find that dynamo action builds substantial organized global-scale magnetic fields in the midst of the convection zone. Striking magnetic wreaths span the convection zone and coexist with the turbulent convection. A surprising feature of this wreath-building dynamo is its rich time dependence. The dynamo exhibits cyclic activity and undergoes quasi-periodic polarity reversals where both the global-scale poloidal and toroidal fields change in sense on a roughly 1500 day timescale. These magnetic activity patterns emerge spontaneously from the turbulent flow and are more organized temporally and spatially than those realized in our previous simulations of the solar dynamo. We assess in detail the competing processes of magnetic field creation and destruction within our simulations that contribute to the global-scale reversals. We find that the mean toroidal fields are built primarily through an Ω-effect, while the mean poloidal fields are built by turbulent correlations which are not well represented by a simple α-effect. During a reversal the magnetic wreaths propagate toward the polar regions, and this appears to arise from a poleward propagating dynamo wave. As the magnetic fields wax and wane in strength and flip in polarity, the primary response in the convective flows involves the axisymmetric differential rotation which varies on similar timescales. Bands of relatively fast and slow fluid propagate toward the poles on timescales of roughly 500 days and are associated with the magnetic structures that propagate in the same fashion. In the Sun, similar patterns are observed in the poleward branch of the torsional oscillations, and these may represent poleward propagating magnetic fields deep below the solar surface.


Previous comparisons of living standards in Japan (1868-1941) and China (1949-78) have been hampered by the limited data. New materials published over the last decade have now filled many of the gaps on Japanese income distribution and China's famine. These materials make it clear that the process of early industrialization was extremely painful in both countries and that it is hard to present either as a development model for other nations to emulate. Copyright 1997 by Oxford University Press.


The pre-trained neural models have recently achieved impressive performance in understanding multimodal content. However, it is still very challenging to pre-train neural models for video and language understanding, especially for Chinese video-language data, due to the following reasons. Firstly, existing video-language pre-training algorithms mainly focus on the co-occurrence of words and video frames, but ignore other valuable semantic and structure information of video-language content, e.g., sequential order and spatiotemporal relationships. Secondly, there exist conflicts between video sentence alignment and other proxy tasks. Thirdly, there is a lack of large-scale and high-quality Chinese video-language datasets (eg. including 10 million unique videos), which are the fundamental success conditions for pre-training techniques. In this work, we propose a novel video-language understanding framework named Victor, which stands for VIdeo-language understanding via Contrastive mulTimOdal pRe-training. Besides general proxy tasks such as masked language modeling, Victor constructs several novel proxy tasks under the contrastive learning paradigm, making the model be more robust and able to capture more complex multimodal semantic and structural relationships from different perspectives. Victor is trained on a large-scale Chinese video-language dataset, including over 10 million complete videos with corresponding high-quality textual descriptions. We apply the pre-trained Victor model to a series of downstream applications and demonstrate its superior performance, comparing against the state-of-the-art pre-training methods such as VideoBERT and UniVL.


The effectiveness of PEG coated gold nanorod and laser thermal therapy (AuNR+L) depends on gold nanoparticle delivery. The application of ultrasound and microbubbles (USMB) has been shown to enhance drug delivery across cell membranes. This study investigated the effect of the combined treatment of ultrasound and microbubbles with PEG coated gold nanorod thermal therapy on cancer cells. Cells in suspension were exposed to combinations of AuNR, laser, and USMB. Following the treatment, cell viability was assessed with propidium iodide marker and flow cytometry, and with colony assays. Cell death significantly increased when USMB was combined with AuNR+L during laser treatment compared to either treatment on its own, whereas, in the absence of AuNR, NIR laser light had a protective effect on cells exposed to USMB. Generally, USMB induced an additive therapeutic effect on cell viability when combined with AuNR+L.


The field of children's learning was thriving when the Merrill-Palmer Quarterly was launched; the field later went into eclipse and now is in the midst of a resurgence. This commentary examines reasons for these trends, and describes the emerging field of children's learning. In particular, the new field is seen as differing from the old in its emphases on variability, choice, and change as central aspects of children's functioning and in its reliance on high-density sampling of learning, of the type provided by microgenetic methods. Examples of learning in content areas ranging from motor development to problem solving to attention, and with age groups ranging from infants to adults, are used to illustrate the insights that this new field is yielding.


In this research at the first Promethazine drug and its fullerene derivative were optimized. NMR calculations for the complexes were carried out at the B3LYP/6-31G*quantum chemistry level. Promethazine is not used as an antihistaminic drug for anyone. In the pharmaceutical composition of promethazine (RS) N, N-dimethyl-1(10H-Phenothaiazin10 yl) -propen-2-amino, two aromatic rings In this study, halogens are connected to one of their loops and the changes in the type of halogen at the surface * HF / 6-31G are calculated. The calculations show that, by changing the type of halogen based on the variation of electronegativity of halogens, the aromatase level is as follows increase. R-F> R-Cl> R-Br. The data in tables and graphs and shapes were compared and discussed.


Male sagebrush crickets ( Cyphoderris strepitans) permit females to engage in an unusual form of sexual cannibalism during copulation: females feed on males' fleshy hind wings and ingest haemolymph oozing from the wounds they inflict. These wounds are not fatal, and normally only a portion of the hind wings are eaten at any one mating, so that mated males are not precluded from mating again. However, non-virgin males have fewer resources to offer females than do virgin males, such that females should be selected to preferentially mate with virgin males. Because previous work has indicated a lack of pre-copulatory female choice, we tested the hypothesis that females accept matings with non-vtrgm males, but discriminate against them afterwards by re-mating sooner than they otherwise would after matings with virgin males. If the last male to copulate with a female prior to egg laying does in fact sire the majority of her offspring, then such post-copulatory behavior would constitute a form of female choice. To test this, we experimentally manipulated both female diet (high protein vs. low protein), and the female's ability to feed on males' wings during mating. We predicted that females prevented from wing feeding and held on a low protein diet would remate sooner than females allowed to wing feed and held on a high protein diet. We measured the amount of time males spent calling in mating trials, and the time to first and second mountings and matings for each female. Our results reveal an effect of wing treatment on the time to first mating. Low protein females mated with winged males significantly more readily than they did with dewinged males. Female diet also had a significant effect on the time to first mounting. Females fed only lettuce (low protein) mounted males sooner than females provisioned with apple and a bee pollen supplement (high protein), indicating that a female's overall nutrient intake may determine her propensity to mate regardless of the mating status of the male she is paired with. No effect of diet or wing treatment was found for time to second mounting or mating.


Lymphoid subpopulations in the blood and rectal mucosa were studied in six patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease who had been treated for over three years with azathioprine. Serial assays were performed to observe the changes occurring up to 12 weeks after treatment with azathioprine was stopped. While the patients were on the drug two lymphoid populations showed marked depression. These were the plasma cells of the rectal lamina propria, and blood lymphocytes with cytotoxic activity against antibody-sensitized target cells (`K' cells). After stopping azathioprine, both populations showed a rapid rise to reach near normal levels by 12 weeks. Most of the recovery occurred within 3–5 weeks. There was no significant change in circulating immunoglobulin-staining cells which could be attributed to the drug. Nor was azathioprine shown to have any effect on the mitotic response of lymphocytes to phytohaemagglutinin. Three patients, however, gave very low or erratic responses to PHA, which may have been related either to their disease or to steroid therapy. These results are discussed in relation to the mode of action of purine analogues as immunosuppressive agents.


Comparative studies made on 79 male rats indicate that the synthetic antioxidants ionol and dibunol liniment administered intragastrically in a dose of 50 mg/kg for 7 days do not exert any protective effect on gastric mucosa lesions caused by ligation of the pylorus by Shay's method. At the same time the antioxidants had an inhibitory effect on activation of lipid peroxidation in gastric tissues of rats operated on according to Shay. The absence of the protective action of the antioxidants on ulcer formation together with an inhibitory effect on activation of lipid peroxidation in gastric tissues provide no evidence in favor of the leading role of lipid peroxidation during gastric lesion in animals with ligated pylorus.


Abstract In this article, Lithuania's relations with Russia from 2004 to 2014 are examined. This analysis is not much of a challenge in itself: there have been no significant changes in the overall quality of the two countries' relations, no new issues of disagreement, and the countries' approaches to each other have also remained unchanged. This analysis is significant in a different way-relations with Russia motivate and induce Lithuania's entire foreign policy arena, from its strategies to the country's everyday debates. Understanding Lithuania's relations with Russia leads to insights regarding Lithuania's geopolitical thinking and how Lithuania represents itself. Therefore, in this article, the goal is to demonstrate that an analysis of Lithuanian-Russian relations since 2004 not only explains Lithuanian foreign policy, but also reveals an enduring and negative stability in bilateral relations notwithstanding constant turbulence and quarrels.


We investigate the storage–discharge relationships of two nested (3·6 and 30·4 km2) upland catchments using rainfall–runoff models: (1) a nonlinear discharge sensitivity function and (2) a tracer‐constrained process‐based conceptual model. Both approaches explicitly acknowledge that water storage is neither time nor space invariant and this provided insight into the respective scaling relationships. Both modelling approaches consistently demonstrated small seasonal storage fluctuations consistent with the wet, cool Scottish climate: the smaller catchment exhibited a greater average dynamic storage (ca 55 mm) compared to the larger scale (ca 40 mm). However, there are differences in simulated storage quantities and ranges inferred from both models, which can largely be explained by model uncertainties and model assumptions. In contrast to the dynamic (active) storage indicated by the rainfall‐runoff models, input‐output relationships of δ18O in both catchments were used to estimate the passive storage available for mixing and tracer damping in streams. This showed that catchment storage is an order of magnitude greater (ranging from 500 to 900 mm) than the dynamic storage estimated by both models, though again, storage estimates were greater for the smaller catchment. The passive storage inferred for mixing indicates that discussion of dynamic storage revealed by water balance considerations masks a much larger catchment storage which may in turn determine sensitivity to environmental change. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Directly using L-lactic acid (L-LA) and glucose (Glu) as the starting materials, novel biodegradable material poly(L-lactic acid-co-glucose) [P(L-LA-co-Glu)] was synthesized via direct melt polycondensation. The copolymers P(L-LA-co-Glu)s at different molar feed ratios were characterized by FTIR, 1H-NMR, GPC, DSC and XRD. All poly(L-lactic acid) modified by Glu was partly crystalline. And their Mw, Tm, and crystallinity basically increased with the increase of the molar feed ratio n(L-LA) : n(Glu). When n(Glu) : n(L-LA) was 1 : 750, the biggest Mw was 5900 Da, and all Mw could meet the requirement for drug delivery application.


Unraveling the complex structure and functioning of microbial communities is essential to accurately predict the impact of perturbations and/or environmental changes. From all molecular tools available today to resolve the dynamics of microbial communities, metaproteomics stands out, allowing the establishment of phenotype-genotype linkages. Despite its rapid development, this technology has faced many technical challenges that still hamper its potential power. How to maximize the number of protein identification, improve quality of protein annotation and provide reliable ecological interpretation, are questions of immediate urgency. In our study, we used a robust metaproteomic workflow combining two protein fractionation approaches (gel-based versus gel-free) and four protein search databases derived from the same metagenome to analyze the same seawater sample. The resulting eight metaproteomes provided different outcomes in terms of (i) total protein numbers, (ii) taxonomic structures, and (iii) protein functions. The characterization and/or representativeness of numerous proteins from ecologically relevant taxa such as Pelagibacterales, Rhodobacterales and Synechococcales, as well as crucial environmental processes, such as nutrient uptake, nitrogen assimilation, light harvesting and oxidative stress response were found to be particularly affected by the methodology. Our results provide clear evidences that the use of different protein search databases significantly alters the biological conclusions in both gel-free and gel-based approaches. Our findings emphasize the importance of diversifying the experimental workflow for a comprehensive metaproteomic study.


Economists frequently assess willingness to pay (WTP) for land preservation outcomes independent of information regarding policy implementation. The public, however, may not only be concerned with the consequences of land management, but also may have systematic preferences for policy procedures applied to achieve management goals. This paper examines relationships between WTP for land preservation outcomes and attributes of the policy process, considering stated preferences for farm and forest preservation in two Northeastern states. The approach departs from traditional welfare assessments in that it does not constrain attributes of the policy process to be utility-neutral. Results indicate that utility is influenced by policy process attributes, even after controlling for the influence of land use outcomes often correlated with specific policy techniques. Results suggest that even comprehensive specification of land use outcomes by stated preference instruments may be insufficient to prevent systematic shifts in WTP related to unspecified, yet assumed, policy process attributes.


Changes in the nature of land use activities, in time and space, often result in land cover changes and, as such, are an indication of land management activities. This research represents an attempt to evaluate the ability of using the new version of Anderson's classification system up to the third level in the land use and land cover classifications of Ninevah Governorate using Landsat TM7 imagery. The study area represents one of the most varied and complex geomorphic landscapes in Iraq, and characterized by irregular land use and different land cover in the geomorphic distribution of landforms. Geomorphic agent represent the main factors in the spatial distribution of soil types, lithological escarpments, and the existing land use patterns. The land use and land cover map shows the whole of the apparent activities up to the third level according to the USGS system, and 27 classes of land use are shown in the final map. The results show that visual analyses of satellite images, applying methods similar to those commonly used for aerial photo analysis, are sufficient for observing features shown on 1:100,000 scale Landsat images. Digital classification is appropriate for some applications, but it was found that land use and land cover mapping projects of the type described here are not among them. These data were utilized to draw a new regional land use and land cover map of Ninevah Governorate at a scale of 1:250,000 . ـــــــــــــــــــــــــ ــــــــــــــــــــــــ ـــــ تامادختسا ةطراخ ضرلأا ءاطغلاو يضرلأا ىونین ةظفاحمل مادختساب يئانلا سسحتلا تایطعم ص تمكح يناتسغادلا يحب


Nano-scale palladium was bio-manufactured via enzymatically-mediated deposition of Pd(II) from solution. The bio-accumulated metal palladium crystals were processed and applied onto carbon paper and tested as anodes in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell for power production. Up to 85% and 31% of the maximum power generation was achieved by Bio-Pd catalysts made using two strains of bacteria, compared to commercial fuel cell grade Pt catalyst. Therefore, it is feasible to use bio-synthesized catalysts in fuel cells for electricity production.


OBJECTIVE
Signaling molecules from the T cell receptor zeta/Fcepsilon receptor gamma (TCRzeta/FcRgamma) family play a critical role in the function of Fcgamma receptors and the TCR and are located on human chromosome 1, where lupus susceptibility genes are located. This study was undertaken to investigate the possibility of polymorphisms and/or mutations of TCRzeta in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

METHODS
We amplified the whole coding region of TCRzeta by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and directly sequenced the PCR products with a dye primer technique to facilitate heterozygote detection.

RESULTS
An alternative splicing form of TCRzeta, with a CAG codon (glutamine) inserted at the splice junction of exons 4 and 5, was found both in SLE and in non-SLE subjects. Both splice isoforms of TCRzeta occurred in human mixed peripheral blood mononuclear cells, natural killer cells, and Jurkat T cells. In TCRzeta, 2 silent and 2 missense mutations were found, but neither coding change occurred in the immunoreceptor tyrosine-activation motif. No unique mutations were found in Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, Chinese, or Japanese SLE patients living in North America.

CONCLUSION
The uncommon and equal occurrence of novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms in both SLE patients and normal subjects makes it improbable that they play important roles in genetic susceptibility to SLE.


We investigate T-matrix for bound and continuous-spectrum states in the discrete oscillator representation. The investigation is carried out for a model problem – the particle in the field of a central potential. A system of linear equations is derived to determine the coefficients of the T-matrix expansion in the oscillator functions. We selected four potentials (Gaussian, exponential, Yukawa, and square-well ones) to demonstrate peculiarities of the T-matrix and its dependence on the potential shape. We also study how the T-matrix expansion coefficients depend on the parameters of the oscillator basis such as the oscillator length and the number of basis functions involved in calculations.


We have used real-time dynamic video imaging of Fura-2 fluorescence to study the acute effects of extracellular ATP on [Ca2+]i in pituitary cells and found that ATP produced a rapid biphasic cytosolic Ca2+ increase in a dose-dependent manner in both rat pituitary gonadotropes and gonadotrope-derived alpha T3-1 cells. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ only attenuated the plateau phase of ATP-induced intracellular Ca2+ response and suramin (100 microM), a P2-purinoceptor antagonist, reduced the ATP effect by 40-60%. Further studies revealed the following rank-order of agonist potency in the Ca2+ response: -ATP = ADP = UTP > 2-methylthioATP >> beta, gamma-methylene ATP/alpha,beta-methylene ATP. Both homologous and heterologous desensitization occurred with ATP and UTP and these did not have additive effects. Together the data suggest that the intracellular Ca2+ responses of gonadotropes and alpha T3-1 cells to these nucleotides are mediated by a single class of receptor pharmacologically characterized as the P2U subtype. This is the first demonstration of functional ATP receptors in pituitary gonadotropes.


The altitude control of flapping-wing micro-aerial vehicles (MAVs) is discussed in this paper. The Tamkang University (TKU) has been devoted to the development of flapping-wing robots for a long period, including design, fabrication and control. On the basis of the earlier knowledge on the Golden Snitch, a flapping-wing MAV in TKU, we develop a non-intrusive navigation methodology by using stereo vision, and stabilize the flight trajectory with a modified P-control. Different from other mechanical or aerial systems, the selections in control signal are limited in this problem due to the restrictions in carry-on weight. Numerical simulations and flight tests are also provided to demonstrate the robustness of our control law and the system structure. We are confident that this should be the first flapping-wing MAV under 10 grams capable of autopilot. The ultimate goal of this work is to realize fully autonomous flight of flapping-wing MAVs.


The thermofield dynamics of the D = 10 heterotic thermal string theory is described in proper reference to the thermal duality symmetry as well as the thermal stability of modular invariance in association with the global phase structure of the heterotic thermal string ensemble.


Peter Fowler was a distinguished physicist to whom physics was sheer enjoyment and this enjoyment brought delight to those around him. His students, associates and friends were inspired by his infectious enthusiasm, his agility at mental arithmetical calculation and his distinctive laugh. The fun of discovery, of seeking understanding of what was hidden, characterized all his work and indeed his approach to life generally.


Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the capital structure literature by examining the determinants of capital structure from the context of South Africa and to provide evidence of the effects of the 2007/2008 global financial crisis on firm-level determinants of debt-equity choice. Design/methodology/approach - – This paper begins by embarking on an extensive review of literature on extant empirical research on capital structure. The panel econometric technique is further adopted to examine firm-level determinants of capital structure and also the impact of 2007/2008 financial crisis. Findings - – The findings of the paper suggest that theories of capital structure underpinning debt-equity choice of firms in developed economies are also applicable in the South African context. The authors also find a strong evidence of the effects of the financial crisis on the capital structure of firms in South Africa. Practical implications - – This paper serves as springboard on which further research can be grounded and also highlights the interaction between the South African economy and the global economy. Originality/value - – The paper provides a fresh evidence on the determinants of capital structure from the Sub-Saharan African context and to the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper that examines the effects of the 2007/2008 financial crisis on capital structure of firms in South Africa.


We performed candidate gene analysis to identify SNP in the chicken ovocalyxin-32 (OCX-32) gene in the F(2) resource population, to develop a PCR-RFLP method for genotyping and to evaluate the associations of the gene polymorphism with egg production traits. The F(2) resource population-comprising 272 chickens-was obtained by crossing White Leghorn (WL) males and Rhode Island Red (RIR) females. They were measured for egg production traits and used for candidate gene analysis. Among parental individuals of the F(2) population, 2 novel nonsynonymous polymorphisms (c.267T>G and c.494A>C) and 1 known nonsynonymous polymorphism (c.381G>C) in the coding sequences of the chicken OCX-32 gene were detected. The PCR-RFLP method was used for screening the chickens of the F(2) population. In parental populations, genotype c.267T>G and c.494A>C were segregated within WL and RIR breeds, respectively, but genotype c.381G>C was breed-specific SNP between WL and RIR breeds. A total of 4 haplotypes were constructed based on the 3 SNP in parental populations, and there was no recombination between c.267T>G and c.494A>C. There was a significant association (P < 0.05) between the OCX-32 gene SNP and egg production traits, but there was no significant association between the haplotypes of the OCX-32 gene and egg production traits in the F(2) population. In the present study, there was the most significant association between c.381G>C of the OCX-32 gene and rate of egg production. The current study is the first step to confirm the relationship between OCX-32 gene polymorphisms and egg production traits.


BACKGROUND
The antibody response to pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) in infants is variable. Factors responsible for this variability have not been fully elucidated. The objective of this study was to investigate whether pneumococcal carriage around the time of the first dose of 7-valent PCV (PCV7) affects serotype-specific immunologic response.

METHODS
Healthy 2-month old infants were randomized to receive 2 (at the ages of 4 and 6 months) or 3 (at the ages of 2, 4, and 6 months) PCV7 doses and a booster dose (at the age of 12 months). Nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal specimens were obtained for culture shortly before the first PCV7 dose. Serotype-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G levels were measured at ages 2, 7, and 13 months.

RESULTS
Of 545 children studied, 332 received a booster dose. The most common serotypes carried around the time of the first PCV7 dose were 6B (n = 37), 19F (n = 22), and 23F (n = 14). In carriers before the first dose, the IgG response to the carried serotype after 2 or 3 doses was significantly lower than in noncarriers. In contrast, response to the noncarried serotypes was not affected. Although all children responded to the booster dose, the response to the originally carried serotype was generally lower.

CONCLUSIONS
Serotype-specific hyporesponsiveness to PCV7 after pneumococcal carriage in infants is demonstrated for the first time. This phenomenon was common, lasted for at least several months, and was only partially overcome by the 12-month booster.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
isrctn.org identifier: ISRCTN28445844.


Ni-base alloy coatings on carbon steel surface were prepared by electro-spark deposition technology and the characterization and tribological behavior of the coatings were investigated. The research results show that the microstructure of Ni-base alloy coating can be divided into three typical areas: the white alloy zone, transition zone and overheating-affected zone. The hardness across the interface of the coating and substrate, in which chemical elements transferred from the coating to substrate, gradually decreases with the depth away from the coating surface. The friction coefficient slightly decreases, while the wear loss increases with the increase of load. The main wear mechanism of the coating is micro-cutting wear at light load friction, and gradually changes into mixture of micro-cutting wear, multi-plastic deformation wear and adhesive wear at heavy load friction.


Computer-aided verification of embedded systems hinges on the availability of good verification models of the systems at hand. Such models must be much simpler than full design models or specifications to be of practical value, because of the unavoidable combinatorial complexities in the verification of any non-trivial system. Good verification models, therefore, are lean and mean, and cannot be obtained easily or generated automatically. Current research, however, seems to take the construction of verification models more or less for granted, although their development typically requires a coordinated integration of the experience, intuition and creativity of verification and domain experts. We argue that there is a great need for systematic methods for the construction of verification models to move on, and leave the current stage that can be characterised as that of model hacking. The ad-hoc construction of verification models obscures the relationship between models and the systems that they represent, and undermines the reliability and relevance of the verification results that are obtained. We propose some ingredients for a solution to this problem.


Two cDNAs that encode the G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying K+ channel (GIRK, Kir3) of tunicate tadpoles (tunicate G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying K+ channel-A and -B; TuGIRK-A and -B) have been isolated. The deduced amino acid sequences showed ∼60% identity with the mammalian Kir3 family. Detected by whole mount in situhybridization, both TuGIRK-A and -B were expressed similarly in the neural cells of the head and neck region from the tail bud stage to the young tadpole stage. By co-injecting cRNAs of TuGIRK-A and G protein β1/γ2 subunits (Gβγ) inXenopus oocytes, an inwardly rectifying K+current was expressed. In contrast, coinjection of TuGIRK-B with Gβγ did not express any current. When both TuGIRK-A and -B were coexpressed together with Gβγ, an inwardly rectifying K+ current was also detected. The properties of this current clearly differed from those of TuGIRK-A current, since it displayed a characteristic decline of the macroscopic conductance at strongly hyperpolarized potentials. TuGIRK-A/B current also differed from TuGIRK-A current in terms of the lower sensitivity to the Ba2+ block, the higher sensitivity to the Cs+block, and the smaller single channel conductance. Taken together, we concluded that TuGIRK-A and -B form functional heteromultimeric G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying K+ channels in the neural cells of the tunicate tadpole. By introducing a mutation of Lys161 to Thr in TuGIRK-B, TuGIRK-A/B channels acquired a higher sensitivity to the Ba2+ block and a slightly lower sensitivity to the Cs+ block, and the decrease in the macroscopic conductance at hyperpolarized potentials was no longer observed. Thus, the differences in the electrophysiological properties between TuGIRK-A and TuGIRK-A/B channels were shown to be, at least partly, due to the presence of Lys161 at the external mouth of the pore of the TuGIRK-B subunit.


However, this difference is more than offset by the substantial cost of mounting a selection process. The Montreal experience suggests that in-depth interviewing does not produce a greater yield." Furthermore, as Pesce et al. rightly point out,' the cost to the community of a failure to identify carriers in the low-risk group (and so prevent vertical transmission to their offspring) would be much greater than would be the extra cost of universal screening (in our series, seven HBsAg carriers were identified in the low-risk group). I.L. Thomas, FRACOG G. Wright, FRCPA The Royal Women's Hospital Bowen Bridge Road, Herston, QLD 4029 I. Pesce AF. Crewe ED, Cunningham AL. Should all pregnant women be screened for hepatitis B surface antigen? Med J AUSI 1988; 150: 19-21. 2. Britton WJ, Parsons C, Gallagher NO, et al. Risk factors associated with hepatitis B infection in antenatal patients. Ausl NZ J Med 1985; 15: 641-644. 3. Delage G, Montplaisir S, Rerny-Prince S, Pierri E. Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant women in the Montreal area. Can Med Assoc J 1986; 134: 897-901. In reply: The main aim of our paper' was to indicate that, even in the best possible environment for determining risk factors for hepatitis B carriage in pregnant women, all such patients will not be detected, and the universal screening of pregnant public patients in large hospitals in Sydney and Melbourne probably is justified. We also attempted an (incomplete) analysis of private patients at Westmead Hospital and provided a costing for such screening, which was based on charges by our external laboratory or private laboratories. We are obliged to charge at the outpatient rate ($16.50; item number 1747 of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule). This part of our Table 4 simply was provided as a guide, not as a public/private sector comparison. Variations in ethnic balance, the ascertainment of risk status and charges occur throughout the private sector and can be substituted in our calculations. However, as now advocated by the Centers for Disease Control' and the NSW Department of Health, the benefits of screening are likely to exceed its cost because of the inadequate determination of risk status, Dr Swinton has challenged our costing of the internal testing for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by large public-hospital laboratories. The schedule fees ($16.50/$22.50) cover the base purchase price of all types of hepatitis B or related tests (HBsAg test, $1.50-$2.00 per test; hepatitis B core antibody [antiHBc] test, $3.00-$4.00 per test; delta antibody test, $9-$10 per test), blood collection, transport, the separation of sera, the technical performance of the test, clerical work, the dispatch of tests, instrument and laboratory depreciation and, as he points out, electricitycosts, cleaning, and perhaps laboratory-establishment costs. The additional costs of screening for the presence of HBsAg in pregnant public patients were calculated carefully several times, including after their challenge by a reviewer. As stated in our Table 4, sera which already have been separated for rubella and syphilis antenatal screening are used for the test, thereby eliminating the collection and separation costs. The addition of 1200 annual HBsAg tests to a workload of 60 000 tests in our three-person hepatitis laboratory section is an efficient use of resources, and the additional costs for labour, instrument depreciation, report dispatch and electricity and cleaning constitute a small incremental cost, which has been covered adequately by our calculations, This screening test obviously entails much-lower costs than does the performance of an isolated hepatitis B diagnostic test (for example, an antiHBc test) by a private or a public laboratory with a small serological test load. A.L. Cunningham, FRCPA E.B. Crewe, BSc(Hons) Department of Infectious Diseases & Microbiology West mead Hospital Hawkesbury Road, Westmead, NSW 2145 I. Pesce AF, Crewe EB, Cunningham AL. Should all pregnant women be screened for hepatitis B surface antigen? Med J Aust 1989; 150: 19-21. 2. Immunization Practices Advisory Committee. Prevention of perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus: prenatal screening of all pregnant women for hepatitis B surface antigen. MMWR 1988; 37: 341-351.


The determination of the electrokinetic properties of colloidal systems is very important for the chracterization of these systems. Colloidal systems have high adsorption performance due to the carrying of negative charges and the colloid structure. The control of the electrokinetic properties of the bentonite–water system are important not only from a technological point view; they are also important from a scientific point of view. Knowing the electrokinetic and rheological properties of bentonite minerals is important for the estimation of the behavior of clays under various environmental conditions. The purpose of this study was to interpret the effect of the nonionic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymer on electrokinetic and rheological properties. Zeta potential and viscosity measurements were done as a function of PEG molecular weights (400, 3000, and 8000) and their concentrations (2.5 × 10−5 to 1.25 × 10−2 mol/L). We interpreted the experimental data, taking into account these two parameters. X-ray diffaction studies were done together with the electrokinetic and rheological measurements. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 341–346, 2002


The present research was conducted with the aim of identifying the key factors of success the companies based in the growth center of Sistan and Baluchestan University. The method of this research is based on the purpose of the application and is based on the type of data ؛The presentation of the model in this study was carried out in a qualitative way. Thus, using the method of overview, 112 articles related to the research field were examined and with the help of content analysis The relevant dimensions and codes were extracted and the importance and priority of each were determined by the Shannon entropy quantitative method .The statistical population of this study is all managers and specialists of companies based in the center of growth of Sistan and Baluchestan University that are 120 people in 31 company. At last 25 coompanies answerd the questionnaires as sample size. To analyze the data, the confirmatory factor analysis method was used with the help of SMART PLS version 2 software. According to research findings, the propagators identified in this model have been categorized in two dimensions: internal organization (human resources, organizational policy), outsourcing (supporting factors and infrastructure); In the meantime, internal and external dimensions within the organization and outsourcing account for 83%, 77% of the change in the pattern of success of the companies located in the center of growth. Introduction Statement of the problem In recent decades, and in line with the entrepreneurial revolution, knowledge economy has replaced the physical economy reliant on labor and capital, and :تفایرد خیرات 19 / 02 / 1397 :ػزیذپ خیرات 20 / 09 / 1397 ؼٍّضپ اّ ی تیزیذه یهَوع ، ىاتغهس 1397 156 entrepreneurship is the focus of economic development, Under such conditions, knowledge and technology play a key role in the economic growth of companies and countries.In this regard, small and medium companies to approach science and technology can boost the economy and improve production was effective (Abor & Quartey, 2010), and as an engine for economic growth around the world, especially developing countries consider that units in Incubators, Some of these companies are considered. Although traditional centers of growth and science and technology parks are currently active in the country, But there are weaknesses such as: the lack of post-growth services in them, the existence of spatial constraints, time constraints and governing bureaucracies in them, the growth and diversity of technological ideas in the field of information and communication technology business and their lack of support due to resource constraints and space Physically unprotected, the lack of fast and fair access of entrepreneurs to resources from everywhere throughout the country has led to the failure to achieve the desired achievements in the field of launching and developing new businesses (Mohammadian et al., 2015: 125). Considering the importance of growth centers, the researcher sought to study the key factors behind the success and failure of companies based in growth centers. Research method In this research To investigate past research and interpret them, the metasynthesis method has been used. In addition to the meta-analysis, there are several studies to integrate into comprehensive and interpretive findings. In this study, the Seven-step method of Sandlowski and Barroso 2007 was used. The statistical population of this study is all managers and specialists of companies based in the center of growth of Sistan and Baluchestan University. The research sample was selected by census method. To analyze the data, the confirmatory factor analysis method was used with the help of SMART PLS version 2 software. In this research, in the first stage, data collection was performed through a search of articles from the relevant electronic databases. A management specialist was used to search terms. After careful consideration and some initial searches of the electronic databases were selected as follows: JCR, Emerald, Science Direct, Springer, and Specialty Light Noor Mag Iran, Iran Dak, Comprehensive Human Sciences Portal, Scientific Information Database of Jahad University. Articles and books reviewed for years (20082018). In the second step, the field method is used to collect information for accountability and validation of the suggested model of research. Discussion Initially, the MetaSynthesis method was used to identify the factors of success of companies based on growth centers. The results of the study were illustrated as a pattern in which the success factors were classified into both interoffice and outsourcing dimensions. The internal dimension is the factors that are related to the organization and the place where the individual is engaged, in َه یذیلو لهاَع توزؽ تیمف رد زمتغه یاّ ... 157 other words, within the organization, the space that governs the companies located in the growth centers, the facilities and facilities available to them. In this dimension, based on the study of previous researches and extracted codes, the components of human resources and organizational policy were identified. The human resources component is: the existence of a strong management team, the presence of specialized staff, the existence of experienced consulting teams. The organizational policy component is: marketing and sales capabilities, collaboration between companies based in growth centers and companies outside growth centers, customer orientation, research and development, knowledge management, communication with competitors, the formation of cultural platforms for the creation of companies Creative and innovative in growth centers. The outsourcing dimension is the factor that companies based in growth centers do not have a role to play. In this dimension, based on the study of previous researches and extracted codes, the components of supporting factors and infrastructure were identified. Supporting elements include: government support policies, university support and research centers from companies based in growth centers, industry support from companies based in growth centers, financial support of investors, services centers for growth to companies based in these centers. The infrastructure component is: IT-related infrastructure (software, hardware, network and hardware), physical infrastructure, patents and intellectual property. In order to validate the research model, a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling using SMART PLS software, a two-part version were used. Initially, the factor loads of the model were evaluated in the software; since all factor loads greater than or equal to 0.4 were the model's reliability, and no index of the research model was eliminated. In the next step, in order to confirm confirmatory factor, the coefficient of each index with its structure should be higher than 1. 96 at a significant level of 95% and higher than 2. 56 at a significant level of 99%. In this case the index of precision for measuring the structure is latent trait (Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994). Given that the desirability of the indicators has been carried out at a 99% confidence level, there will be significant numbers between 2/56 and 2/56. Indicators considered for the components of the external and internal dimensions of the dimensions of the success of the companies based on the growth center have had a significant explanatory effect because the meaningful number obtained for them is outside the scope of absolute magnitude of 2.56. The results of the pattern test in the standard state show that the human and organizational policy are respectively 81% and 96% of the internal organizational dimension of the model respectively. The results also show that the components of supporting factors and infrastructure are 93% and 83% of the outsourcing dimension of the model, respectively. The results of second-order factor confirmation show that internal and external dimensions of 83% and 77% of the changes in the pattern of ؼٍّضپ اّ ی تیزیذه یهَوع ، ىاتغهس 1397 158 success of the companies based on the growth center are explained, respectively. Result The main objective of this study is to study the key factors of success the companies based in the center of growth of the University of Sistan and Baluchestan. Using the method of furthering the dimensions and components of the success of the companies located in the center of growth was explained. The proposed research pattern consists of 2 dimensions, 4 components and 18 indicators. In order to validate the theoretical model of the research, a questionnaire was designed and distributed among the staff of the organization. The reliability of this questionnaire was assessed through formal and factor analysis. To assess the reliability of this questionnaire, Cronbach's alpha was used. In order to analyze the data in the inferential statistics section, using structural equations and confirmatory factor analysis, the validity of the proposed model of the research was investigated and the fittest of the model was examined. Finally, the model of success factors of the companies based in growth centers was presented using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.


Introducao: Rural family physician practice has been studied in the state of Idaho, United States, both in 2007 and 2012. The state of Idaho is remote and this year's American Academy of Family Physician of the Year will be a co-presenter with an author of the studies discussing rural practice. This presentation will highlight a historical perspective in the context of a changing healthcare environment. Objetivos: This presentation will highlight the nature of family physician services provided in rural Idaho as well as the need for educational curriculum to serve patient needs. Satisfaction rates of both rural family physicians and administrators will also be discussed. Metodologia ou Descricao da Experiencia: A survey instrument was developed based on a literature review and was validated by physician educators, practicing family physicians and executives at the state hospital association. This survey was mailed to rural family physicians practicing in Idaho counties with populations of less than 50,000. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed to describe and compare scope of practice patterns. This survey was repeated in 2012 and results compared with the study five years earlier. Demographic and practice information was compared and contrasted in addition to data regarding physician and administrator satisfaction with rural physician healthcare services to communities. Resultados: Rural family physicians have a broad scope of practice and a high level of satisfaction. Results between 2007 and 2012 demonstrate differences in physician demographics, scope of practice such as obstetrics and emergency care and changes in use of technology. These results will be discussed with the presenting physicians referencing their own experiences from rural practice in Idaho; one of which is the recently announced American Academy of Physicians family physician of the year (Keith Davis). Conclusao ou Hipoteses: This presentation will demonstrate a usable research tool which could be applied to measure rural family physician practice outside of Idaho and outside the United States. This will be presented in the context of discussion of the satisfaction associated with the provision of a broad scope of practice providing care to rural communities.


In this paper, a new current based maximum power point tracking (CMPPT) method is proposed for a single phase photovoltaic power conditioning system and the current based MPPT modifies incremental conductance method. The current based MPPT method makes the entire control structure of the power conditioning system simple and uses an inherent current source characteristic of solar cell array. In addition, digital phase locked loop using an all pass filter is introduced to detect phase of grid voltage as well as peak voltage. Controllers about dc/dc boost converter, de-link voltage, dc/ac inverter is designed for a coordinated operation. Furthermore, PI current control using a pseudo synchronous d-q transformation is employed for grid current control with unity power factor. 3㎾ prototype photovoltaic power conditioning system is built and its experimental results are given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control schemes.


We present an usual case of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula with perimedullary and spinal cord venous plexus drainage and discuss its etiological, physiopathological, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects.


FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS; NATURAL ENEMIES AND POLLINATORS IN VIRGINIA CUCURBIT PRODUCTION. James M. Wilson & Thomas P. Kuhar, Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061. Cucurbit production in Virginia provides the commonwealth with melons, pumpkins, summer squashes, and cucumbers, all of which are dependent upon adequate pollination for fruit set and development. Growers liberally apply fungicides in Virginia, and often will tank-mix broad-spectrum insecticides that are known to have negative effects on both natural enemy populations and pollinators regardless of pest pressure. Here we examine the potential role of narrowspectrum insecticides and their interactions with the squash bug egg parasitoid, Gryon pennsylvanicum (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). G. pennsylvanicum has been identified around the commonwealth and is capable of high levels of parasitization on eggs of the squash bug, Anasa tristis (Hemiptera: Coreidae) a pest of many cucurbit crops. Bioassays were conducted utilizing field collected squash bug egg masses with four narrow-spectrum insecticides and a broad-spectrum insecticide (used as a baseline). Squash bug egg masses were dipped in formulations of labelrate insecticides, and squash bug nymphs and parasitoid wasp adults were allowed to hatch. In 2015, there were no significant differences between treatments after a χ2 goodness of fit test, in which the control replicate data were used as the "expected" values of background parasitization levels. A shift away from broad-spectrum insecticide use may reduce the risk of releasing secondary pest populations. Adapting effective narrowspectrum insecticide use may help to mitigate the negative impacts of insecticides on pollinators and the natural enemy complex in cucurbit crop systems.


"The modern library in the network society"A study of cultural politicians and librarians opinions about libraries' use of social mediaSocial media is becoming more and more interacted in our daily lives and Carlsson (2013) argues that today's libraries have undergone major challenges in the digital information technology's entry in the library arena. The new technology has led to sum up in one question: how a library should relate to the digital information technology, the issue has applied in particular the social communications media, such as Facebook, Twitter and more. The purpose of this paper is to examine the culture of politicians and librarians 'perceptions of public libraries' use of social media linked to the libraries and their democracy promotion efforts. This is analyzed from Castells theories about the network society and the digital divide.In summary, the study concluded that the majority of the culture politicians and librarians believe that social media is a part of the future of the library. But they have different views on how to get there, cultural politicians describe the ideas for the library and the use of social media more visionary, while the librarians descriptions are more closely with the business. The possibility of dual communication instead of one-way communication took many respondents as an important part of the library's presence on social media. The importance of the library's democracy promotion efforts to reach out to everyone even those as defined by or at risk of falling into the digital divide is also discussed in the study.


ABSTRACT The cyclin D1 gene encodes a regulatory subunit of the holoenzyme that phosphorylates and inactivates the pRb tumor suppressor to promote nuclear DNA synthesis. cyclin D1 is overexpressed in human breast cancers and is sufficient for the development of murine mammary tumors. Herein, cyclin D1 is shown to perform a novel function, inhibiting mitochondrial function and size. Mitochondrial activity was enhanced by genetic deletion or antisense or small interfering RNA to cyclin D1. Global gene expression profiling and functional analysis of mammary epithelial cell-targeted cyclin D1 antisense transgenics demonstrated that cyclin D1 inhibits mitochondrial activity and aerobic glycolysis in vivo. Reciprocal regulation of these genes was observed in cyclin D1-induced mammary tumors. Cyclin D1 thus integrates nuclear DNA synthesis and mitochondrial function.


: The article provides an overview on the importance of international education, and the significance of short-term study abroad programs. It also provides specific step-by-step guidelines and recommendations to help first-time faculty members who are interested in conducting a short-term study abroad program in the field of child development and family studies. Explanations are given on conducting orientation sessions before departure, suggestions for fund raising activities, balancing the academic content with recreational and adventure excursions, making arrangements for guest speakers in the host county, arranging for visits to social service agencies, and lastly incorporating service learning activates in the program. Questions such as, "What are some of the of the typical challenges that a faculty leader is likely to encounter in the host country"? are addressed. A summary of the qualitative analyses that was obtained from the students, about their reactions to the program, and the impact that it had on them, after they returned from the 3-week program is explored.


There is an increasing commercial demand for nanoparticles due to their wide applicability in various areas such as electronics, catalysis, chemistry, energy, and medicine. Metallic nanoparticles are traditionally synthesized by wet chemical techniques, where the chemicals used are quite often toxic and flammable. In this work, we describe a cost effective and environment friendly technique for green synthesis of magnesium doped zinc nanoparticles using the plant extract of Calotropis. Calotropis plant extract used first time as reducing agent as well as capping agent. The magnesium doped zinc nanoparticles were achieved by using high purity metal sulphates and Calotropis plant extract. The synthesis of nanoparticles was confirmed by changing the color from light brown to green within 1 hour of reaction. The further study of formation of magnesium doped zinc nanoparticles was confirmed by UV–Vis, FTIR, XRD, EDX, and SEM. The formation of zinc oxide phase was also confirmed by FT-IR. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the crystalline nature of the nanoparticles indicating particle size within the range provided by electron microscopy data. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of Mg ion in the doped Zn lattice and scanning electron microscopy reveals the spherical morphology of nanoparticles. The antimicrobial activities of nanoparticles (NPs) were studied against fungi, gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria using the well diffusion method. The detailed characterization will be discussed here.


The thermal properties of a sorbitol-type nucleating agent (viz. 1,2,3-trideoxy-4,6:5,7-bis-O-[(4-propylphenyl)methylene]-nonitol (TBPMN)) were examined in this study, and the influence of common processing additives assessed. In addition, we describe a novel approach to monitor in situ the self-assembly of the nucleator in presence of additives by optical microscopy. The performance of sorbitol compounds is closely associated to their chemical structure and ability to self-assemble. TBPMN formed elongated fibrils from the melt under inert atmosphere, in molted polypropylene, or in presence of antioxidants. However, calcium stearate (CaSt) and glycerol monostearate hampered growth, and yielded thinner fibrils. In presence of the additives, melting point depression of the nucleator occurred, and resulted in a lower degree of crystallinity upon cooling. Performance evaluation of the nucleator in polypropylene blends revealed an increased crystallization temperature when antioxidants were present, while CaSt inhibited nucleator activity. The effect of mono-glycerides was found highly dependent on the processing conditions. Noteworthy, blends containing all the additives displayed the highest performance. This study highlights the importance of the preparation method of polymer additive blends to achieving the best performance in the final product. Characterization was performed by thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, optical microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry.


From the bestselling author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves, a hilarious new book from Lynne Truss about her strange journey through the world of sport and sports journalism. Get Her Off the Pitch! is the story of one woman's foray into the very masculine and rather baffling world of sport. Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves, spent four years as an unlikely sports writer for The Times. It was a job that took her around the world (via the most difficult journeys and least glamorous hotels) and introduced her to some of the greatest living sportsmen (and many argumentative men with clipboards). During her time at the newspaper she faced disdain from fellow sports writers; undertook last-minute, pre-fight research into 'The Rumble in the Jungle' (Muhammad Ali won, surprisingly); tried unsuccessfully to interpret bizarre commentary and memorize results statistics; wept at football matches and discovered a lasting love for golf. She was even nominated for Sports Writer of the Year. Get Her Off the Pitch! is the hilarious, perceptive and at times moving account of those four strange years. It is perfect for those for whom sport is a matter of life and death, for those who have no idea what all the fuss is about - and for everyone in between.


Multi-instrument Automatic Music Transcription (AMT), or the decoding of a musical recording into semantic musical content, is one of the holy grails of Music Information Retrieval. Current AMT approaches are restricted to piano and (some) guitar recordings, due to difficult data collection. In order to overcome data collection barriers, previous AMT approaches attempt to employ musical scores in the form of a digitized version of the same song or piece. The scores are typically aligned using audio features and strenuous human intervention to generate training labels. We introduce NoteEM, a method for simultaneously training a transcriber and aligning the scores to their corresponding performances, in a fully-automated process. Using this unaligned supervision scheme, complemented by pseudo-labels and pitch-shift augmentation, our method enables training on in-the-wild recordings with unprecedented accuracy and instrumental variety. Using only synthetic data and unaligned supervision, we report SOTA note-level accuracy of the MAPS dataset, and large favorable margins on cross-dataset evaluations. We also demonstrate robustness and ease of use; we report comparable results when training on a small, easily obtainable, self-collected dataset, and we propose alternative labeling to the MusicNet dataset, which we show to be more accurate. Our project page is available at https://benadar293.github.io


A single transmission error can give rise to multiple errors in the decoded data and this phenomenon is described by the error multiplication factor. This factor can be used to predict the error rate in the decoded data for a given error rate in the received data. This paper describes the problem of error multiplication in the decoder of modal pseudoternary codes. In analyzing such codes it is assumed that the input data is a random, and a suitable Markov chain has been constructed to describe the coded signal. The statistical distribution of number of errors in the decoded data, due to a single transmission error, and the error multiplication factor are also evaluated. Results of computations are presented and discussed for CHDBm codes with m=2 and 3 as examples of these codes.


Presently, there is a paradoxical situation in the global energy market related to a gap between the image of hydrocarbon resources (HCR) and their real value for the economy. On the one hand, we face an increase in expected HCR production and consumption volumes, both in the short and long term. On the other hand, we see the formation of the image of HCR and associated technologies as an unacceptable option, without enough attention to the differences in fuels and the ways of their usage. Due to this, it seems necessary to take a step back to review the vitality of such a political line. This article highlights an alternative point of view with regard to energy development prospects. The purpose of this article is to analyse the consistency of criticism towards HCR based on exploration of scientific literature, analytical documents of international corporations and energy companies as well as critical assessment of technologies offered for the HCR substitution. The analysis showed that: (1) it is impossible to substitute the majority of HCR with alternative power resources in the near term, (2) it is essential that the criticism of energy companies with regard to their responsibility for climate change should lead not to destruction of the industry but to the search of sustainable means for its development, (3) the strategic benchmarks of oil and coal industries should shift towards chemical production, but their significance should not be downgraded for the energy sector, (4) liquified natural gas (LNG) is an independent industry with the highest expansion potential in global markets in the coming years as compared to alternative energy options, and (5) Russia possesses a huge potential for the development of the gas industry, and particularly LNG, that will be unlocked if timely measures on higher efficiency of the state regulation system are implemented.


Mg-based nanostructured materials with a composition of Mg85Ni15-xMx (M=Y, La, or Pd) have been fabricated by proper alloying additions and controlling the crystallization process of melt spun metallic glass ribbon. XRD suggests that the average crystallite sizes range from 100 nm in the binary materials to <30 nm in the ternary alloys. Hydrogen absorption/desorption measurements show improved properties compared to nanocrystalline alloys fabricated using other processing strategies. Surface treatment of the binary and Pd-containing ribbons by ball milling or submersion in aqueous NH4+ allows the materials to be activated at 473 K, significantly lower than conventional Mg-based hydrogen storage materials. Y and La additions improve the maximum storage capacity. Absorption kinetics are also improved the materials is alloyed with La, while Y slows the reaction kinetics. Some degradation in storage capacity is observed when the materials are exposed to a cyclic absorption/desorption process, likely due to microstructural coarsening. The Mg85Ni10Pd5 composition fully absorbs and desorbs ≈5 wt. % H at 473 K, while other bulk Mg-based materials require temperatures in excess of 573 K.


Physical environment is one of the most influential factors on livability of urban spaces and
eventually quality of life of city residents. Recently, the rapid urbanization in Kuala
Lumpur city has raised the necessity of examination of the quality and livability of Kuala
Lumpur urban spaces. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the quality and livability of
Kuala Lumpur streetscapes through examining the physical attributes of studied areas and
identifying the physical problems. Bukit Bintang Street and Tun Perak Street which are
located in the inner part of Kuala Lumpur City Center were selected as the case studies. To
achieve the research objectives, a sequential mixed method was adopted. Firstly, the 15
influential physical attributes on design and livability of streetscape were identified.
Secondly, the current conditions of physical attributes of two case study streets examined
qualitatively through observation and photography to explore physical problems of the
studied areas. Then, questionnaire surveys conducted to examine the importance of
identified problems and the role of different organizations on decreasing the problems. The
quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS. Correlation was carried to identify the effects
of identified physical problems on livability of the areas.
The results revealed that some problems such as the traffic congestion, small road,
inadequate parking space, improper walkway paving, inadequate planting, lack of
renovation of ruined buildings, inadequate facilities for disabled people and inadequate
public services and maintenance, mostly deteriorate the livability of the studied
streetscapes. In addition, the respondents recognized Kuala Lumpur City Hall as the major
responsible organization for improving the problems. Finally, the researcher recommended
two groups of strategies - KLCH role and government role - for improvement of the
physical quality and livability of Kuala Lumpur city center's streetscapes.


Concern for equality and human dignity is largely absent from American sentencing. Prison sentences are imposed much more often than in any other Western country and prison terms are incomparably longer. The greater frequency of imprisonment is a product of punitive attitudes and politicization of crime control policies. The longer terms result partly from abolition of parole release in every jurisdiction for all or some inmates, but mostly from the proliferation since the mid-1980s of mandatory minimum, three-strikes, life without parole, and truth-in-sentencing laws. The ideas that offenders should be treated as equals and with concern and respect for their interests largely disappeared, though they had been animating values of earlier indeterminate and determinate sentencing systems. Their disregard is evident in the nature of contemporary laws but also in low-visibility policies and practices including the near absence of meaningful systems of appellate sentence review, low standards of proof — or none at all — at the sentencing stage, and the absence of policies that limit the weight given to past convictions in the sentencing of new offenses or set standards for sentencing of people convicted of multiple offenses.


Ten captive-reared African black-footed penguins (Spheniscus demersus) from a large outdoor colony were monitored for avian malaria, using several diagnostic tests. One treatment regimen was evaluated. Thin smear blood evaluation enabled detection of seven parasitemias involving Plasmodium relictum and Plasmodium elongatum in the penguins. Leukocytosis (relative lymphocytosis) was characteristic of infected birds. Parasitemia was detected as early as 21 days prior to onset of clinical signs (depression, anorexia, regurgitation, pale mucous membranes, and respiratory distress). The single bird that died had clinical signs only a few hours prior to its death. Treatment consisted of 0.03 mg of primaquine phosphate base/kg body weight, administered orally once daily for 3 days. Oral chloroquine phosphate therapy, given simultaneously, was administered in an initial loading dose of 10 mg of chloroquine phosphate base/kg body weight, followed by doses of 5 mg/kg at 6, 18 and 24 hours after the initial chloroquine dose. This treatment regimen prevented mortality and cleared parasites from the blood. Recurrences of malaria occurred in two birds that had received this treatment.


Morphology of the nucleus is an important regulator of gene-expression. Nuclear morphology is in turn a function of the forces acting on it and the mechanical properties of the nuclear envelope. Here, we present a two-parameter, non-dimensional mechanical model of the nucleus that reveals a relationship among nuclear shape parameters such as projected area, surface area and volume. Our model fits the morphology of individual nuclei and predicts the ratio between forces and modulus in each nucleus. We analyzed the changes in nuclear morphology of liver cells due to Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection using this model. The model predicted a decrease in the elastic modulus of the nuclear envelope and an increase in the pre-tension in cortical actin as the causes for the change in nuclear morphology. These predictions were validated biomechanically by showing that liver cells expressing HCV proteins possessed enhanced cellular stiffness and reduced nuclear stiffness. Concomitantly, cells expressing HCV proteins showed down-regulation of lamin-A,C and up-regulation of actin, corroborating the predictions of the model. Our modelling assumptions are broadly applicable to adherent, monolayer cell cultures making the model amenable to investigate changes in nuclear mechanics due to other stimuli by merely measuring nuclear morphology. Towards this, we present two techniques, graphical and numerical, to use our model for predicting physical changes in the nucleus.